Electric disconnect device



Fa). 7,1939. I NN 9 2,146,577

ELECTRIC DISGONNECT DEVICE Filed May 4, 1958 r-ns Attorney.

Patented Feb. 7, 1939 r 2,146,577

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,146,571 memo mscomc'r nnvrcr:

enjami B. He mann, Lanesbomugh, Masa, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May 4, 1938, Serial No. 205,938 11 C aims. (01. 200-49) The present invention relates to electric disthe casing and adapted to have line conductors connect devices and more particularly to imor leads fastened thereto. Upper contact I2 has provements in blade means for use therein. a contact finger I, backed by a spring strip [5,

One of the principal objects of the invention and formed to provide a latching seat l6 for a conducting portion of the blade means is com brackets l8, one of which is shown in the draw- 10 blade means is arranged to give a clearly observ- For closing the open front of easing Hi, there V able indication when in open circuit condition. is provided a cover or door 2|lconstructed of Another object of the invention is the provision suitable insulat g material and having the cusof an improved cover or door for a housing of an tomary eyelet handle 2| for manual operation electric cutout or thelike adapted for outdoor thereof. A somewhat U-shaped mounting memvery simple and economical construction, is easily door, and the substantially parallel extending which, for purposes of example, I have illustrated latching seat I 01' contact finger I4 to releasably my invention as applied to the housing for an hold the doorin closed position. o electric cutout or the type disclosed in my United As illustrated in Fig. 1, a conductor in the form States Patent No. 2,081,814, issued May 25, 1937, of a flexible braid or cable 30, is supported by and assigned to the assignee of the present inthe door in position to effect electric connection vention. It will be evident, however, from the between stationary contacts l2 and loof housensuing description, that my invention is not ing II. The upper end of this conduc r is pro- 35 -limited to employment onlyinelectrlc disconnect vided with a terminal 3| having a slot 32 for devices having cutout housings of the particureadily releasable engagement with a wing screw lar type illustrated. 33 which is employable to efiect clamping en- In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation gagement of the conductor terminal with termiof the exemplary cutout housing with one form or nal element carried by the door. The conblade means therefor embodying the present inductor is provided also with a readily removable vention and with the electric connection means bolt and nut assembly 34, located adjacent terandFig. 3 shows, partially in sectional elevaprovided with a. contact terminal 35 arranged tion, the cutout housing with a modified form 01' for co -operating engagement'with the surface of blade means embodying the present invention. lower stationary contact I3. This terminal 35 electric creepage barrier l I disposed between stato eflect pressure engagement of terminal 35 with tionary terminal contacts I! and I3 carried by contact l3 and the arrangement is such that, I

ends of conductor 38 effectively protects the internal parts of the housing from adverse weather conditions.

When it is desired to employ door 20 simply as a closure for the open front of casing in, it is necessary only to detach upper conductor terminal 3| from upper door supported terminal element 25 and then to pull the flexible conductor to its position illustrated in Fig. 2. Ann 31 is provided with a hook projection 4| so that, under this last condition, the arm may be latched back against thedoor by means of a ring 42 which is held in place by an upwardly projecting portion 4301? member 22, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus both are completely isolated from stationary contacts l2 and i3. The upper terminal 3| of the conductor may be held in its lowered position in any suitable manner, as for example, by engagement of bolt and nut assembly 34 with. a stop 44 at the lower end of member 22 and engagement of the end of spring 4|! with the slot 32 in terminal 3|. Removal .of the bolt and nut assembly and withdrawal of the end of spring 40 from slot 32 may be accomplished readily when it is desired to service or replace the conductor. Whenterminal 3| is in its lowered position shown in Fig; 2, a looped portion of the flexible conductor extends below the bottom'oi the casing to give clearly visible indication of the open circuit condition. At the same time, the door remains 'in closed position to protect the internal parts of the housing from adverse weather conditions. If it is desired for any reason to open the 'door and swing-it downwardly about hinge pins l9,-conductor 30, beingflexible, provides no hindrance to such movement as would be the case if the conductor were in the form of a stiff rodlike element. i

In the modification of Fig. 3, the door is hingedly supported on pins i3 by means of a U-shaped mounting member 45 somewhat similar to mounting member 22 of the previously described embodiment. The conductor 48 in this modification is made in the form of one or more flexible strips and is provided with an upper terminal 41 having a'contact head 48 arranged to be detachably supported on a bracket 58 carried by the door. Contact head 48 engages upper stationary contact finger l4, and the door is held releasably in closed position by engagement of the seat portion I8 01' contact finger M with the head 48 and, in the illustrated embodiment, also with upwardly projections 5| of bracket 50. However, engagement of seat IS with projections 5| is not necessarily required when the conductor is in connected position. The lower end of conductor 48 has a contact terminal 52' pivotally connected, as indicated at 53, to an arm 54 which in turn is pivotally supported on a extends between the spaced arms of mounting member 45. means of a. spring .55 for counterclockwise rotation, as viewed Fig. 3, so as to force lower conductor. terminal 52 into pressure engagement with contact l3, the arrangementbeing such, similar to that or the previously described em- It has been suggested to provide such a door 7 housing. In such case,

- the provision,

Arm 54 is biased by bodiment, that a sliding engagement ,of terminal 52 with contact I3 is efiected as to closed position.

When it is desired to employ the door simply as a closure for the open front of easing ill without establishing electric connection between lower stationary contact i3 and contact finger l4 of the upper stationary contact of the housing, the door is pulled open and mounting member 45 disengaged from hinge of contact head 48 from bracket 50 then permits arm 54 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, under the influence of spring 56, so that the arm may assume its position illustrated in broken lines in Fig.v 3. Contact head 48 then maybe brought around and latched between the curved end of arm 54 and the inner. surface of member 45, as shown'in broken lines in Fig. 3, or may be allowed to hang down freely. The door then is returned to engagement'wlth hinge pins l8 and is rotated to its closed position where it is latched by engagement of projections 5| with seat l6. Under these circumstances flexible conductor 43 hangs downwardly below the bottomoi the casing so as to give clear-indication of the open circuit advantages over suggestions heretofore made for replacement doors for electric cutout housings. with a conducting element or blade of stifl! construction'i'astened rigidly to the door in position to.

bridge the stationary contacts or the cutout if-no provision were made for ready removal of the blade irom the door, it would'be necessary to remove the door as wellas the blade from the housing when it is desired to leave the circuit open. This would be a great disadvantage in that either the housing would be left open with the possibility of sleet and snow collecting-on the internal parts and causing current leakage across the contacts, or a lineman would be put to the inconvenience of carrying a large number or separate doors for replacement door 28 is moved pins l9. Disengagement foregoing description, the present invention provides pronounced purposes at those installations where it is desired to convert from closed to open circuit condition,

or vice versa. In case provision were made for removal of the blade from the door when it is desired to leave the circuit open, the disadvane tage would be encountered that the lineman would have no ready means for observing, when the door is closed, whether .or not the blade is in position to close the circuit.

The present invention effectively and simply avoids the disadvantages of the earlier suggestions above mentioned, in. that it makes possible at the cutout housing installation, 'of a single cover or door having all parts necessary for quick and easy conversion of the cover or door to serve either as a simple housing closure or as a circuit closingblade means. Thus, there I is no danger of a lineman having to leave a cutout housing open for long periods of time to adverse weather conditions merely because he does not happen to have a separate bladeless cover available whenhe desires to convert the installation from closed circuit condition to open circuit condition. Also, with the construction of the present invention, the lineman is not put to the inconvenience of climbing a pole or other supporting structure and removing the cutout invention.

I What I claim. as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In an electric disconnect device, the combination, of a housing comprising a. casing and a door for closing an open side of the casing, spaced contacts in said isolated condition of the conductor.

2. In an electric disconnect device, a casing,

hindrance to movement of said door about \its pivotal mounting.

4. Electric disconnect blade means for use with spaced contacts mounted therein; said blade means comprising a switch element having a flexmeans for detachably open side of a supporting casing and said switch element is detached from said one support, for ment in an electrically disconnected position with ibly in an indicating of the door.

5- Electric disconnect blade means for use with .a supporting casing having an open side and door adapted to be mounted in closing relation to an open side of a supporting casing and having means employable for efiecting electric connection of said conductor between spaced stationary contacts of a supporting casing,- said last mentioned means including a contact terminal for engagement with a corresponding stationary contact, means supporting said terminal for movement relative-to said door,;means operable for effecting pressure engagement of said terminal with a corresponding stationary contact when the door is mounted in a casing closing position, and means employable for restraining said terminal alternatively in a position electrically isolated from such corresponding stationary contact when the door is mounted in a casing. closing position.

9. In-combination, a door adapted for mounting in closing relation to an open side of a sup-' porting casing, means associated with the door arranged to support an electric conductor for connection between spaced stationary contacts mounted in a supporting casing, a contact terminal for engagement with a stationary contact,

. pivoted means associated with said .door and supporting said terminal for movement relative to the-door, means operable for effecting pressure engagement of said terminal with 9. corresponding stationary contact when the door ismounted in a casing closing position, and means employable for restraining said terminal alternativelyin a position electrically isolated from such corresponding stationary: contact when the door is mounted in a casing closing position.

10. In combination, a door adapted for mounting in closing relation to an open side of a supporting casing, means associated with the door arranged to support an electric conductor for connection between spaced stationary contacts mounted in a supporting casing, a contact terminal for engagement with a stationary contact, a pivoted terminal support associated with said door and movable relative to the door, means pivotally mounting said terminal on said terminal support, and means operable when said door is mounted in a casing closing position for effecting pressure engagement of said terminal with a corresponding stationary contact.

11. Unitary replaceable blade means for use in an electric disconnect device including a supporting casing having an open side and'stationary upper and lower contacts mounted therein; said blade means comprising a door adapted for removable mounting in closing relation to an open side of a supporting casing, a flexible conductor, means arranged detachably to support one end of the conductor in a position for electric con-v nection with an upper casing contact, means employable for supporting said one end of the conductor alternatively in another position electrically isolated from such upper casing contact when the door is mounted in a casing closing position, a contact terminal for the other end of the conductor, pivoted means supporting said terminal for movement relative to the door into and out of engagement with a lower casing contact, biasing means operable for effecting pressure engagement of said terminal with such lower casing contact, and means employable for restraining said terminal alternatively in a position electrically isolated from such lower casingcontact when the door is mounted in a casing closing position, a portion of said conductor being arranged to depend in a loop at the bottom of said door when said one endof the conductor is v supported inits said other position.

BENJAMIN R. imam. 

